


It's not what you look at, it's what you see

by bobbersbme



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Anxiety, Avoidence, M/M, Nolan is an anxious little bean, People Watching, Puppy Pack, Regrets, frustrations, new kid, observation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29297655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobbersbme/pseuds/bobbersbme
Summary: Alec is new to the pack, new to Beacon Hills, new to the school. He's the new kid. So he watches, waits to see where he fits in, time will tell.He isn't the only one trying to fit in, only unlike Alec, Nolan is going around in circles.
Relationships: Alec/Nolan (Teen Wolf)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 11





	It's not what you look at, it's what you see

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Are_Words_Enough](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Are_Words_Enough/gifts).



Alec hated starting a new school, he truly did, and all of this was so rushed. It felt like one second he was running from hunters for his life, and the next an alpha, his new alpha, was sending him off to Beacon Hills to live in the spare room of his first beta so he could finish high school.

A high school where everyone knew about the supernatural at that. Well, that was new. Alec had been a wolf for a couple of years now, about the same time he’d been an orphan, the accident that had led to him being turned was the same that had taken the lives of his parents. His former alpha, the one that Monroe killed, had tried to save his parents as well, but his mother had died at the scene, and his father hadn’t survived long enough for the bite to take. Alec, he survived, and was taken into the pack.

In that way, this pack wasn’t actually that all different to his last, on paper anyway. He’d gone from one alpha to another, from one pack to another, from one pack family to another.

Everything else was different. While his former pack didn’t have many humans that knew, but this one did. Parents, school kids, the story that Scott had told him, how the whole town had been pulled into the supernatural world, in one way or another because of, some fear creature. It had a name, he knew it had a name, but he couldn’t quite remember it, on tip of his tongue almost… he’d gotten a lot of information about his new pack, you had to forgive him, he was still coming to terms with a lot of it, the name of the creature didn’t seem the most important thing right now, not when it was gone.

So, there he was, holding his bag to his chest, he didn’t have much, he’d been running from the hunters after they had killed everyone else in his pack for weeks. It hadn’t started with everyone in his pack, but over those weeks, they’d finished picking off the others, until it was only him. Alec was pretty sure he’d be dead now too if it hadn’t been for Alpha McCall and his pack helping him escape the hunters on his trail.

Liam, he had been the one to bring him back to Beacon Hills, to explain that he’d be staying with him, at least until he finished high school. He was a senior like most of the pack that was still currently in Beacon Hills. While other members were still based there, they came and went as they needed to while working to handle the hunters that were systematically killing off any supernatural that they found. Alec both wished he could forget about school so he could be off, helping Alpha McCall, while also grateful that he was here, finishing school, and capable of pretending to have a normal life again when nothing had felt normal in weeks.

Theo drove Liam and Alec to school. Liam talking rapidly from the front seat about the other students in the pack, Alec, only half listening, instead he was watching out the window of the backseat of the truck. Theo was Liam’s boyfriend, Mrs Geyer had told him the room Alec was staying in had been Theo’s before he pretty much just moved into Liam’s room. That had surprised Alec, wondering how they were okay with their son’s boyfriend living in their house, in their son’s room even. Not that it mattered, if Theo wasn’t staying with Liam, he wasn’t sure where he’d have ended up staying. 

So, now the Geyer household was sheltering three teenage supernatural beings, all under one roof, that was going to be all kinds of fun.

Alec didn’t get a lot of time to settle, the day after he arrived, less than twelve hours in town, and he was walking into the high school after Theo had driven Liam and him into after a rather hectic breakfast considering none of them had gotten a lot of sleep after getting in so late the night before. Liam had tried to convince his mother that they should just stay home for the day, using Alec as the reason for his argument mind you. He had claimed that not only Alec needed time to adjust, but also so he could give the town tour, needless to say, she hadn’t been convinced. Saying instead that Liam could use the day to give Alec the school tour and get him started there, she’d already contacted Mrs Martin and she was expecting him today. 

At least, Alec hadn’t been the first one to laugh at the look on Liam’s face when his mother had shut his arguments right down. No, he wasn’t sure if it was Dr Geyer or Theo, but it was one of them, and in turn, Alec hadn’t felt quite as bad as he laughed softly with them.

Getting into the school, Liam had gone with him to the offices where they met with Mrs Martin, who had given him a stern talking about staying in class and not letting _other_ pursuits get in his way of graduating. She sure was gung-ho about them graduating, one determined high-school principal, the last one hadn’t paid much nearly this much attention to new students. Of course, at his last school, they hadn’t known about the supernatural, so his principal hadn’t known he was welcoming a new werewolf to the school body. 

Either way, he was walking out of the office with Liam, with an old backpack of Liam’s filled with old notepads and pens to get him through his classes, and a brand new printed out schedules in his hand. All in all, he was finished right before the second period was to start, which felt like a miracle and a half, to be honest. When he’d started at his old school, it felt like it had taken forever to get all the paperwork handled, but he supposed having a principal not only in the know when it came to the supernatural, but also connected to the pack somewhat, helped the rush to get him back on school after being on the lam for weeks from the hunters. 

Classes were simple, sharing textbooks with people he didn’t know wasn’t new, anymore were the whispers wondering who he was, and speculation on that very question with the fact he’d been seen walking into the school beside Liam. Most were curious, some were wondering if he was supernatural, what he was if he was supernatural, and why he was here. It was beyond weird to be around so many people that knew, even with the story Scott had told him, it was surreal for him after spending the past few years having to be oh so careful around humans.

Lunch rolled around, and Alec had barely stepped into the cafeteria when Liam was right there grabbing onto his arm and pulling him to get some food, talking the whole time, pointing out people, who were on the lacrosse team, who was in their year, pretty much all kinds of odds and end facts about how to survive Beacon Hills High School. Alec found it a bit amusing, the way Liam seemed to think the school was oh so different from any other school, it wasn’t, just like at his old school, there were cliques everywhere, but Liam seemed to think he had to look out for Alec every step the way. It would be a lie to say it was completely unwanted, at least with Liam talking to him, he didn’t have that whole, new-kid-that-knows-no-one-and-wandering-aimlessly vibe going on.

Stepping out of the cafeteria line, trays of food in hand, Liam pulled him along to a table where some other boys were already sitting. Seems it was the pack table. 

So much seemed so normal, which made it entirely strange to him. While he hadn’t been the only kid in his old bad, sitting together and hanging out at school wasn’t really something that happened. Yet, here he was, sitting down at the table while Liam was introducing him to the others.

Thinking back from what he’d caught from what Liam had told him that morning on the way to school, he got that Mason was Liam’s best friend, human from his scent, Corey was a chimera, which explained the fact he didn’t smell like any wolf Alec had met before, and he was Mason’s boyfriend. The second fact Alec worked out on his own, the two boys smelled too much like each other for anything else. Then there was Nolan, the other human boy at the table, he didn’t remember what Liam had said about them considering when he came up they’d just gotten to the school, and the rundown had come to an end as they made their way to the office instead.

Sitting here now, he couldn’t help but notice as cute as the blonde kid was, he scent had waves of anxiety coming off of him. Considering he was pack according to Liam, then it was probably because Alec was new, and he was making the kid nervous, so in turn, he made sure he was sitting at the other end of the group to give the kid all the space he needed not to freak out on his friends because of him. He on instinct made himself seem as unassuming as possible as he took a bite of his apple, watching, and listening to the interactions between the packmates. From the sounds of it, Liam was engaging Corey and Nolan in some talk about lacrosse practice that afternoon.

Most of it seemed to be going fine, but Alec was curious as Liam seemed to be getting frustrated,

“So, I was thinking you could mention to the coach about doing some suicides after those shooting drills."

Alec didn't really know much about lacrosse, just sticks with nets, and the need to get the ball into the goal, another net... that was pretty much his knowledge of the sport. Shooting drills sounded pretty self-explanatory, at least, he thought it was, who knows, Alec was more a track guy from before he was bitten, and after his alpha had thought it was too dangerous to join sports as it could have affected his control. Sitting here it was obvious that wouldn't be a problem here, maybe, maybe he could start running again, even if it was just something on his own. Smiling to himself, he almost missed what happened next.

"Sounds like a great idea, I'll be sure to mention it."

Nolan smiled to Liam, his heartbeat skipping. Opp, well, that flare of frustration from Liam made Alec wonder what he was annoyed at more with that low growl from the werewolf. Was it that Nolan was agreeing, or was it that he was lying about agreeing. Honestly, anything that was called suicides, he hoped coach said no, for the sake of the team. Why would Liam choose to suggest it, and if he honestly wanted to do them, why was he getting Nolan to talk to the coach instead of doing it himself?

Nolan was lying pointlessly to a werewolf, reeking of anxiety the whole lunch hour, possibly due to him being here but he was pack and used to wolves, so yea, still weird. Liam was frustrated and growling at Nolan, Corey looking awkwardly at the whole exchange, and Mason seemed to be ignoring it entirely... and they were supposed to be friends?

This was weird.

Yet he was the one that had been socially removed for weeks running from hunters.

Maybe they weren't always weird, maybe, it was just one of those days.

It wasn't one of those days. 

The next day, was just as strange as the first, only, this time, it was a conversation with Mason during study hall. Study hall he shared with Mason and Nolan, and they were all sitting at the same long table, with textbooks, and notepads. Alec had a few different assignments that he had to catch up on and Mason had helpfully offered to help him, which had Nolan jumping in and offering to help too. The fact that he offered made him wonder if the anxiety that his scent was again reeling with, was still because of him. 

Of course, the cute guy with those gorgeous bright blue eyes had to be a weird one.

Sure, Mason did as he had agreed, helping Alec with a copy of his class notes, but he also gave him a running commentary while Alec was trying to read over the information he needed for his paper. The commentary had nothing to do with his paper, and everything to do with the pack, Mason was telling him about everything the pack had been dealing with the past few years. From Theo and the Dread Doctors, holy shit that guy was pack and Nolan who… Alec glanced at the apparent hunter whose scent had flared with shame till it was almost consuming the scent of anxiety, and together they almost made Alec feel sick for a moment. 

These people weren’t just weird, they were nuts.

None more than Mason. Mason who very carefully, threatened Alec by telling him what any kind of pack betrayal would earn him on the human’s behalf. Mason’s heart didn’t tick once as he told him what he’d do to Alec if he ever went against his friends and pack. It wasn’t just his heart that convinced Alec of his words, it was his eyes, the determination was extreme. There was also the part that the werewolf wasn’t so sure that the threat was entirely for his benefit with the way the sour scent of Nolan’s anxiety spiked so intensely. It was a shame this guy was so consumed with his issues, his scent wasn’t nearly that bad, at least, underneath all of the layers of anxiety and shame.

As the weeks passed by, Alec did his best to get to know his packmates, while also observing them as discreetly as possible. Nuts was an understatement, they were so, strange of a group.

Surprising enough, the weirdest one, was Nolan.

It took Alec a few days to figure out what was going on with the other guy, and it was one day when Liam looked like he was about to bite Nolan's head off before Theo managed to steer the werewolf away, that he realized.

He was agreeing, to EVERYTHING. If someone said something, especially Liam, Nolan automatically agreed, even things that no one would willingly agree to, such as volunteering to run an insane amount of suicides during lacrosse practice to spare anyone else having to when Liam put him up to it. 

Liam was at the point of being a hairs breath from snapping the hunter in two. Mason, continued with his pointed comments, and Alec couldn't help but feel like that just spurred the other human on in his effort, whatever he thought he was doing. Theo, and Corey, tried to avoid the hunter everywhere they could.

Alec shouldn't, but the longer this went on, the more amused he was becoming. At first, he'd thought this entire pack was insane with the strange interactions, let alone having former psychopaths and hunters in the pack... and then, as time wore on, insanity wasn't the issue, it was hilarious.

Watching pack members playing hide and seek from the hunter. Watching Liam drive him to the edge with all kinds of tasks that Nolan just insisted on agreeing to, each and every one. Listening to Mason with his threats, which now Alec, was thinking wasn't just about threats, but promises. 

Nolan was part of the pack too.

Didn't stop the fact that the longer this went on, the more Mason seemed to be as amused as he was about all of this as well, even if he was just as honest about his threats as he was when Alec had first met him!

Corey simply chose to turn invisible when the blue-eyed former hunter tried to corner him letting Nolan chase his metaphorical tail like a puppy trying to find him. Theo, well, his method of avoiding Nolan tended to become a bit more creative depending on the day. From 

That was how Alec came to find Nolan locked in the Geyer's basement one afternoon when the house was empty, aside from Alec. Alec, who had just gotten home from his daily run through the preserve to help him train for the track team when he caught the slow steady heartbeat in the basement of the house. Huh. Getting the door open with a trick of his claw, he headed down to the basement, whoever it was has been locked in from the looks of it. Alec couldn't help but chuff with laughter softly at the sight of Nolan curled up on a dusty couch in the basement, asleep, and wonder how long he'd been down here for him to just nod off, on the weekend.

Theo, it had to have been Theo, and he'd been gone since earlier this morning when he and Liam had headed out to do some errands for Jenna who was a weekend getaway with David. Nolan had probably been down here for hours with no one in the house at all, and so, eventually, he'd crashed with almost next to nothing of interest in the basement... at least not for someone like Nolan. Someone who would be terrified of getting caught going through the boxes Liam's family stored down here, scared of being judged with snooping as it were. 

Thinking about how it had been hours, Alec didn't wake Nolan up right away, instead, he continued with making his usual after run snack, only today he also added brewing a pot of coffee in as well. Once he was done he was walking down the stairs to the basement, with a big ass mug of coffee for Nolan in hand. Walking over to the couch, he held the mug out towards the sleeping human, waving the aromatic drink near his face, hoping to wake him by tempting his stomach to recognise the smell or at least the warmth of the beverage. Whichever one it was, it worked. 

Smiling slightly as Nolan's eyes fluttered as he woke slowly with a groan,

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty, I have sustenance."

Chuckling as those blue eyes blinked sleepily up at him,

"Alec."

Grinning,

"Nope, just the local coffee barista that home delivers."

Watching as Nolan murmured something truly unintelligible as he shifted to sit up, his hair spiking ever which way as he rubbed his eyes, but Alec didn't give up the coffee yet,

"Come on, upstairs, I got food and coffee. I'm guessing you haven't eaten since breakfast and its well past lunch, so come on Nollie, let’s get you fed."

Sure, Alec was the werewolf that would be starving by dinner without his snack, but just because Nolan was human and didn't have an insane metabolism, didn't mean he shouldn't eat something. So, once he got Nolan, still looking like he was a bit fuzzy from waking up, coffee in hand, upstairs, they moved to sit at the dining table where Alec the plates with the sandwiches he’d made for them.

"Let me guess, Theo?"

Nolan was running his fingers through his hair as he set his mug down and reaching for half of his sandwich,

"Yea, I came by to see if he needed and help with his errands?"

That just made Alec laugh soft before he took a bite of his own sandwich,

"What?"

Alec just shrugged as he chewed, looking over to Nolan with a smile, thoughtfully considering what to say, someone had to say something, and the rest of them were painfully thinking Nolan would figure this out on his own. That or they just wanted to keep torturing him, but Alec, as amused as he was, he had to say something.

"Why? Why offer to help with Jenna's errands, Liam was the one that has to do them, and Theo went with him to help, it’s not your issue Nolan."

Alec had offered to help, but he lived here, and he had been given a couple of errands which he'd finished already, Liam had just left his until the last chance to do them, which his parents were away.

"They deserve time together, you know, so, I can be helpful."

Shaking his head, Alec sighed,

"Liam left what he was supposed to do until the last minute, he promised his mother, come on Nollie, this is on him. Stop being a doormat."

The scoff from the other boy,

"I am not a-"

"Yes you are, you're acting like a doormat. You agree with everything everyone says, even me. You let Liam talk you into insane lacrosse practices, most of which Liam only suggests not to try and get you to tell him no. Mason taunts you to see if you'll snap and finally tell him where to go, Corey hides every time you try to corner him like a frightened animal, and no Nolan, he isn't a frightened animal, he'd just avoiding you. Finally, Theo, who would rather lock you in the basement in an empty house than have you badger him."

Alec knew he probably sounded like an asshole, but, he was just saying it how he saw it.

"Why Nolan?"

The other boy's scent spiked with anxiety again, just as it always did which made Alec sigh, he smelled so much better without it, very tempting truthfully.

"Calm down Nollie, I'm not trying to be mean, I just want to help, and I say that as one of the people you've also been badgering since I got here. What I don't know, is why?"

Nolan set his hand eaten sandwich down,

"I'm trying to make amends, I tried to kill most of the pack members, every single one of those guys was in the hospital that I led Liam into a trap, by accident! I didn’t know it was a trap!. Your entire pack was killed by the hunters I used to be one of... I need to make amends so they'll accept me as part of the pack."

Oh wow.

"Are you kidding? You're already a part of the pack, Nollie."

The former hunter scoffed after swallowing a mouthful of coffee, shaking his head slightly, 

"No I'm not, they all hate me, trust me, the things I've-"

"Nolan, Liam insisted on you being a co-captain of the team, he pulls you into pack nights even because you drive him insane with agreeing with everything he says even when what he said is insane-"

"His idea's are good!"

Alec couldn't help laughing at that,

"No they're not, and he knows they aren't. He says them wanting you to argue him on it. He doesn't want someone who just agrees with him on everything Nollie, he wants someone who supports the team, not a yes man. If you think something sounds bad, say no! Trust me, he'll respect you for it."

"But-"

"Nollie! You're pack, stop acting like a scared little mouse. Start saying no, start helping Liam by leading the lacrosse team. Stop trying to corner Corey, let him come talk to you on his own, it's what I did. Theo, well, he's an enigma, as long as Liam's happy, Theo seems okay."

Alec was pretty sure that Theo didn't like him at all, but put up with him because he didn't annoy him and Liam had welcomed him with open arms.

"But Mason-"

"I'll take care of Mason."

Alec smiled at the new voice, Corey appearing to the side of the room after a moment with a sigh. He'd known he was there, not that he knew why the other boy was there, but he was. Alec wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth,

"I'll take care of Mason, don't worry about him, he's okay with you."

Alec wouldn’t go so far as to say okay, but he was more accepting of Nolan in the pack than Theo, but that was another thing entirely. As it was, Alec was pretty sure the comments from Mason aren't what Nolan thought they were, so hopefully all Corey had to do was convince his boyfriend so stop with his comments that were stoking Nolan's anxiety constantly and making the human all mental about this.

"I just came by to drop some things off for Liam. I'll take care of Mason, just,"

Corey looked between Alec and Nolan, shaking his head with a small knowing smile, 

"See you at school tomorrow."

As Corey was back out the door, Nolan sighing, Alec supposed he was used to the chameleon chimera always avoiding being around him by now. When he stopped trying to corner him, maybe that would change. Hopefully.

"What about you then?"

Alec looked back from the doorway Corey had left through and was taking another bite of his sandwich, musing slightly as he chewed before swallowing,

"What about me?"

"Why are you trying to help me? Shouldn't you hate me for what the hunters did to your pack?"

This kid really had been messed up by those hunters, as much as the supernaturals here,

"You weren't one of those hunters Nolan, besides, you smell good."

Alec just smiled at the shocked look that Nolan gave him as he finished his sandwich and got up to take the empty plate back to the kitchen. Nolan did smell good, really good, underneath all the constant anxiety, which he didn't get to often, but when he did...

"I smell good? What do you want to eat me or something?"

Alec had to laugh as he moved into the kitchen and set the plate down, coming back to Nolan who seemed to have forgotten what was left of his sandwich and coffee as Alec returned,

"Well, my mouth certainly has something to do with it."

Winking to Nolan, come on, he couldn't be that oblivious. Then again, he'd been stuck in this rut with the pack for months apparently, so maybe yes, maybe he could be that oblivious, or obtuse, either way, right then Nolan was just looking at him with a blank confused look.

Okay, that was it, instead of trying to convince Nolan now, time to do something, stepping towards the table, towards Nolan, and seeing those bright blue eyes going wide as Alec reached for him and pulled him up by his shirt towards him. Pressing his lips to the blonde hair humans in a chaste but unmistakable kiss, he was not going to let Nolan just assume something else like he had so much lately.

Sighing as the kiss broke as he looked to Nolan, now another scent layered over Nolan’s, something spicier, arousal,

“Get it now, Nollie?”

A slightly nervous smile came then as a pink flush rose to his face and down along his neck, Alec couldn’t help but grin at the sight as Nolan’s hands reached for his waist.

“Yea, I get it now.”

About time!

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me [here](https://bobbersb-fandomfun.tumblr.com/) if you wanna chat.
> 
> Kudos and comments are love.


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